


Mangled and Marred

by Akira_of_the_Twilight



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton-centric, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Not Canon Compliant, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-18 04:36:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7299835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_of_the_Twilight/pseuds/Akira_of_the_Twilight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint zeroed in on the tattered tattoo below Tony’s heart.</p>
<p>The tattoo was barely recognizable, beheaded not only by the arc reactor but also torn and stretched apart by the valley of scar tissue across Tony’s chest. Through it all though, Clint could see the three gears that formed a crescent together. He saw the two large feathers that the gears nested in and the arrow that shot through the center of the gears like cupid's arrow shot through hearts.</p>
<p>The tattoo–-the mark–-was painfully familiar. It matched the same mark that appeared right below Clint’s heart too. His soul mark; the very same mark Clint was destined to share with his soul mate.</p>
<p>Tony Stark was his soul mate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Clint was not drunk; he was buzzed, but he was not drunk. There was a difference; he could still form sentences and he was still very much aware of his surroundings. He just preferred to ignore aforementioned surroundings currently and use body language to communicate since his tongue was busy with Tony’s mouth.

Tony tried to push himself up onto his elbows, but Clint pinned him to the couch by his shoulders. Clint’s normal patience and calm was gone when inebriated, and all he wanted to do was keep Tony under him so he could continue exploring the contours of Tony’s body.

It wasn’t his first time making out with Tony. It had become a bit of a habit between them in the last couple of months. They were both tactile people and together they satisfied each other’s physical needs. Plus, Tony wasn’t so bad once you got to know him. He was actually a funny guy, and incredibly insecure.

Tony’s hands went to Clint’s hips, encouraging Clint to press into him more.

Clint made a sound in the back of his throat and let one hand slide up Tony’s dress shirt. His fingers skimmed soft and warm muscles. He smiled into their kiss as Tony’s abs quaked under his touch.

Distantly Clint was aware of people hooting and hollering at them in the background. They were making out in the middle the Avenger’s latest victory party after all. He was sure someone had probably even snapped a picture of them already.

Tony groaned and let one hand fist Clint’s hair. He gave a gentle warning tug to Clint’s short strands before prying Clint’s mouth off of his.

Tony panted—his lips red and bruised. “Think we might have to stop here. Can’t handle much more.”

Clint smiled coyly and let his fingers continue to rove over Tony’s chest, hiking up Tony’s shirt. “Tony Stark, I would have thought you had more endurance.”

“We’ve been making out for over twenty minutes,” Tony protested.

“And clearly I haven’t been doing a good job if you were able to count the minutes in your head.” Clint swooped down and captured Tony's mouth in another kiss. He sucked Tony’s bottom lip between his, teasing and massaging the lip before releasing it.

A sound that was cross between a blissed out sigh and a groan escaped Tony.

Tony squirmed under Clint, searching for friction and causing his shirt to ride up until Clint could see just under where the arc reactor used to be.

Clint zeroed in on the tattered tattoo below Tony’s heart.

The tattoo was barely recognizable, beheaded not only by the arc reactor but also torn and stretched apart by the valley of scar tissue across Tony’s chest. Through it all though, Clint could see the three gears that formed a crescent together. He saw the two large feathers that the gears nested in and the arrow that shot through the center of the gears like cupid's arrow shot through hearts.

The tattoo–-the mark–-was painfully familiar. It matched the same mark that appeared right below Clint’s heart too. His soul mark; the very same mark Clint was destined to share with his soul mate.

Clint stared at the broken gears, snapped arrow, and mangled feathers. His fingers itched to touch the marred symbols, but panic kept Clint from doing so.  
  
Tony Stark was his soul mate.  
  
Clint didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know whether to be delighted or upset. He’d never pictured Tony Stark as his soul mate.

Tony wiggled beneath Clint, and it wasn’t in the wanton manner that Clint had come to enjoy.

Tony rolled back his shoulders so he could lift his chest up and yank down his shirt. “Sorry,” he grumbled. “Not a pretty sight, but at least it stopped us from taking things too far. I don’t think the rest of the team would appreciate anything more than PG-13 while they are present.”

Tony took advantage of Clint’s shock and pushed himself up more and slid his upper half out from under Clint.

Clint’s brain shouted at him to do or say something. “Your scars didn’t upset me.”

Tony patted Clint on the shoulder. He pulled his legs out from Clint and stood. “Of course not. A super spy like you? Please, you’ve probably seen worse. Still, as I said, team and PG-13. It was fun though. Maybe next time.” Tony hurried off before Clint could protest.

Clint was frozen on his hands and knees on the couch.

Nat sat down where Tony had been and cocked an eyebrow at Clint.  
  
“I swear I didn’t do anything,” Clint said to Nat.

Nat nodded. “Something happened though.”

“Arguably.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

Tony Stark was his soul mate, and Tony had no idea, which meant Clint had to inform him or wait for Tony to find out on his own.

“Fuck.”


	2. Chapter 2

"Is there a reason you are shadowing me?” Tony teased without looking up from examining the insides of one of his Iron Man boots. He furrowed his brow and popped his screwdriver into his mouth as he reached into the net of wires and metal.

“Since when is hanging out with you in your workshop ‘shadowing?’” Clint responded, keeping his tone playful. He’d picked out one of Tony’s work benches to sit on while he fooled around on his Stark Tablet. From an outsider perspective, he appeared to be playing video games on his tablet as Tony worked, and while that was true to an extent, Clint was really observing Tony in the hopes of deciding what to do about their shared soul marks.

Clint flicked his tablet screen. From the corner of his eye he saw it lit up with bursts of color that declared his victory.

Tony popped the screwdriver out of his mouth and craned his head at Clint. “Considering you’re a super spy, I think I can be a little free and loose with the term ‘shadow.’”

“I disagree, but I doubt that is going to stop you from using the word.”

Tony beamed. “You got that right.” Tony set down his screwdriver and spun around. He leaned against the table and eyed Clint. “But really, why are you here? The only times you come down here are when you want something or when it’s your turn to pester me about eating and sleeping.”

“Maybe I just want to see a genius at work?”

Tony scoffed. “You’re right about me being a genius, which is why I’m not falling for that line. Come on, Legolas, lies and misdirection aren’t really your thing.”

“I’m a former spy, Tony,” Clint deadpanned.

“Okay, not your thing with your friends.” Tony shrugged. “You know, assuming we are friends.”

“Tony.” Clint sighed and bowed his head. He stood, put aside his tablet, and went over to Tony. “Please don’t play the pity party game with me. I like you. I wouldn’t make out with you as much I as do if I didn’t. Plus, how could I not like the guy who fixes my game consoles and is willing to play Mario Kart at 3am with me?”

Tony wrinkled his nose. He either didn’t like Clint’s examples of friendship between them or he didn’t believe Clint (possibly both).

“Do you really need me to recite every reason why I like you?” Clint asked.

Tony huffed and turned away. He returned to working on his boot. “Of course not, but really, you shouldn’t care one way or the other about me fixing your consoles. I’m the tech guy; it’s what I do. Just enjoy it like everyone else does.”

Clint paused, mulling over Tony’s words. Tony was the tech guy of the group, but that didn’t mean he was responsible for everyone’s tech, especially for anything that was recreational.

“I do.” Clint came up behind Tony and let his hands rest on Tony’s hips. “I enjoy it when you fix my things, but I’m grateful too. Besides making my life easier, I also always know that you’ll not only fix it, but you’ll make my stuff better. It’s nice knowing I can trust you.” Clint rested his forehead on the back of Tony’s head. “I really appreciate it.”

Tony was tense. He turned ever so slightly to look at Clint over his shoulder then quickly looked away again. “No need to get emotional about it.”

Clint sighed in fond exasperation and stepped away from Tony. “Fine, fine. I’ll save the passionate speeches for wayward teens with psychic powers.”

Tony chuckled. “You do that.”

Clint smiled at the grin on Tony’s face as the genius tinkered.

This was his soul mate, Clint told himself, yet he still couldn’t believe it. His soul mate was a genius with a reputation for broken hearts and an ego that couldn’t be rivaled. His soul mate was also the man who spent hours building armor and weapons for his teammates while also trying to come up with new inventions to help the world; whether it be through green energy or developing tech that helped with traumatic memories. His soul mate was the same man who could eviscerate people with just a few well-chosen words, but at the same time was crushed so easily by others’ words.

Clint couldn’t picture himself as the soul mate to the public’s Tony Stark, but he couldn’t quite picture himself with Tony’s private self either–perhaps because Tony’s public self had the habit of leaking into his private self when he was feeling particularly vulnerable. Or maybe because Clint didn’t know what he could offer Tony as a soul mate. Nor did he really know what he needed from Tony as a soul mate either.

They were supposed to compliment each other and make each other stronger, but Clint just didn’t know how. Even if they were both Avengers, it felt like they came from two vastly different worlds–universes even.

Tony stopped in the middle of tinkering again. He whirled around and lightly shoved Clint in the chest. “Okay, no more joking. Either stop staring at me, or get the hell out of my workshop. I’m trying to build things here, and you are distracting me.”

Clint captured the hand on his chest. “Aw, but I like distracting you.” Clint brought Tony’s hand to his lips and kissed Tony’s knuckles.

Tony snatched his hand back. “Maybe if I were a pre-teen anxiously wondering why no one has ever tried to hold my hand or give me a kiss, I’d fall for your ruse. You can’t seduce me into staying in my workshop, Romeo.”

Clint shrugged and smiled. “Figured it couldn’t hurt to try.” Clint leaned forward and pecked Tony on the cheek, before spinning on heel and running off. “See you later, Juliet.”

Clint chuckled at the indignant squawk that came out of Tony. “You wish I was, birdbrain.”


	3. Chapter 3

The air was knocked out of Clint’s lungs as a robot built by the mad scientist of the week rammed into his chest like a bull and sent him skidding along the rooftop.

The robot zoomed on by, not giving a crap about the fact that it had just knocked down one of its enemies.

“What am I? Chopped-liver?” Clint hissed as he tried to prop himself onto his elbows. One of his shoulders protested.

“Hawkeye, what’s your status?” Steve’s voice came over the comms.

“Sore.” Clint rolled his shoulder to work out the pain. He pushed himself to his feet. He hurried to the edge of the building where he’d been keeping watch and providing cover before he’d got his ass handed to him. “Looks like you got a tank coming your way.” Clint drew one of his exploding arrows out from his quiver.

“An actual tank or are we using video game terms here?” Tony asked. “Because I’m not picking up any literal tanks on my scanners, but I do see a big boy playing amongst the baby bots.”

Clint let his arrow soar. “Sorry, brain’s a little scattered after hitting my head on concrete. Video game lingo. Switching back to military.”

The same bot that had bulldozed into Clint a moment ago had returned and was circling him.

Clint drew another arrow and kept one eye on the bot and one eye on the ground where the team was fighting.

The bot launched at Clint.

Clint whirled and shot. His arrow shorted out the robot’s circuitry, and the robot crashed to the ground.

Clint huffed and rubbed his tender chest. He allowed himself a moment of petty pleasure before refocusing his attention on the battle on the ground.

The fight was standard–-which, really? What a sad thing to think that certain fights had become standard for the Avengers. It really was just your basic robots of death and destruction though. The robots didn’t even have lasers or bombs (Dr. Evil had better plans than this newbie villain). Truthfully, the massive robot that Clint had referred to as a ‘tank’ was the most worrisome of them, and at most it knocked cars around and did some damage to a few buildings as it went past. A few hits from Iron Man, Vision, and Wanda, and the large robot was down for the count.

Nat and Sam apprehended the mad scientist of the week, and from there it became a matter of dealing with the remaining bots and clean up.

The bots were taken care of within the hour, and soon after the clean up crew arrived.

“Need a lift?” Tony hovered inches above the roof where Clint had stationed himself. His helmet was still on, and his face-plate closed.

Clint smirked. “Depends. Will I need to clench?”

“I’d recommend it, but you don’t have to.” Tony extend his arm, signaling for Clint to grab onto him like he would if he was giving Tony a side hug.

Clint hurried to Tony’s side and wrapped his arm around Tony’s neck. He stepped onto one of of Tony’s boots for purchase.

Tony’s arm wrapped around him, and soon they were soaring down to join the rest of the Avengers on the ground.

“So who else wants Thai for our victory meal?” Tony asked.

Everyone hastily agreed.

Finding a Thai place that was nearby and not shut down after the robot attack was easy thanks to Tony and FRIDAY. Getting to the location was a pain though, literally. Clint had decided to take the scenic route and had hopped onto the back of Nat’s bike with her. While Nat was an excellent driver, that didn’t stop the occasional jostle, and Clint found himself wincing every time his chest knocked into Nat.

Clint rubbed his chest once they’d parked and dismounted.

Nat looked him over.

“Robot rammed into me. Didn’t break the skin and I’m breathing fine, but it’s really tender up here.”

Nat nodded. “Bathroom.”

Clint sighed. He should have known Nat would want to take a look at his chest.

They waltzed into the Thai restaurant where Tony and Sam had already arrived and appeared to be arguing about what to order for the team.

“Are you trying to give half the team indigestion?” Sam asked.

“We fight aliens, robots, and whatever else comes at us. I think we can handle a little extra spice.”

“But can the bathrooms, if we can’t?”

Tony glared at Sam. “Are you insulting my plumbing?” Tony glanced at Clint and Nat from the corner of his eye. “Ah, perfect timing.” Tony grinned and faced them. “Tell Sam he has no sense of adventure.”

“No,” Clint stated.

“Listen to Sam.” Nat looped her fingers around Clint’s elbow and led him toward the bathroom.

“Where are you two going?” Tony hollered after them.

“Not everyone has a compartment in their suit for peeing,” Clint said.

Tony shouted a comeback, but Clint wasn’t able to catch it before he was tugged into the restroom. Nat pulled Clint to the sink. She patted the edge of the counter and encouraged Clint to sit on it.

With an exasperated sigh, Clint hopped onto the cold marble. He reached behind himself to unzip his top and got the zipper partially down before Nat decided to take over and help the zipper reach its destination. Her eyes flickered to the mark on Clint’s chest as she gently slid the top off Clint.

It wasn’t Nat’s first time seeing Clint’s mark, but it wasn’t something she saw very often either.

Then again, maybe she was more intrigued by the purple, blue, and black splotches that covered Clint’s chest?

Delicately, Nat splayed his palms and fingers across Clint’s pectorals. She let her hands rest there a beat then met his gaze.

Clint nodded.

Nat let her hands rove and apply pressure along his chest and back.

There were a few spots that caused Clint to cringe under the pressure but not cry out.

“Other than being tender and bruised you appear fine.” Nat took a step back. “You should get an x-ray to be safe.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Clint reached for his discarded top and shoved his arms into it.

The bathroom door flew open and Tony waltzed in. “Hey, everyone has arrived, and the food’s ready. Are you two playing hide the sausage in here, because if you are, I want…in…” Tony stared opened-mouth at Clint’s chest.

Clint tensed.

“We’ll be out in a minute.” Nat waved Tony off.

Tony kept staring.

Nat frowned. Her gaze darted between Clint and Tony.

Clint’s throat had gone dry. He swallowed, trying to bring back moisture to throat, but the action failed.

It figured Tony would walk in on him with his shirt off.


	4. Chapter 4

Clint didn’t know what to say or do. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Tony remembered the night Clint had seen his chest. The genius was probably replaying the memory  in his head on loop and gaining a new understanding each time he relived the moment. Clint had seen the mark, had recognized it, and he had decided not to tell Tony that he shared the mark–-that they were soul mates.

For most people it would be heartbreaking, but for Tony–-

“Tesla, you’re chest!” Tony hurried over to Clint. He almost laid his palms on Clint’s chest but stopped just short. He cringed. “I’m not crazy about doctors myself, but you should have said something, birdbrain. You could have a fracture or worse.”

Clint’s brain sputtered and died. He stared at Tony in utter confusion.

“Did you get hit on the head too?” Tony let one hand brush through Clint’s hair, quickly checking Clint’s skull for damage.

The contact was brief, but Clint found himself wishing for Tony to continue with the caring gesture. He really was a physical guy, after all, and he was so baffled right now that he could really use a grounding and comforting touch.

Tony frowned and turned to Nat. “I think he has gone mute.”

Nat watched the scene with calculation in her gaze. “So it would seem.”

Clint needed to speak, but Nat was there, and while she was his best friend, there were some things meant only between soul mates.

God, soul mates. Days later and he still couldn’t wrap his head around it.

“Okay, that’s it. I’m going have FRIDAY call a doctor.”

Clint snatched Tony’s hand, the appendage harder to hold than usual due to it being sheathed in the Iron Man gauntlet. “I’m fine. I was just a little thrown.”

Tony scrunched up his face. “By what?” Tony’s eyes darted down to the soul mark on Clint’s chest. “That? I didn’t know you were the private type when it came to that sort of thing. It’s kind of cute.”

“I’m not–” Clint didn’t know what to say. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I can’t think right now. Let me put my shirt back on, eat, and then we can talk about this later.”

Tony shrugged. “What is there to talk about?” He snapped his fingers. “Shit! Steve and Bucky are out there and no one is there to stop them from eating all of my favorites!” Tony bolted for the door, throwing it open with abandon. “Put down the chopsticks and step away from the food, Barnes!”

“Fuck you, Stark!” Bucky hollered back.

“I know you want to, but I don’t do scruffy. I hate beard burn!”

The bathroom door swayed shut at Tony’s exit.

“Is Tony your soul mate?” Nat asked.

Clint sighed. One of the things he both loved and hated about Nat was how perceptive and to the point she could be.

“Yeah.”

“And he just found out.”

Clint nodded.

“But you’ve known since our last victory party.”

Clint nodded again. He bowed his head and rubbed his neck. “I’m an asshole, I know, but I could barely imagine what my soul mate was like before this. What little I'd pictured was nothing like Tony. I know I need to talk to him. I guess I was just trying to give myself time to make sense of it all. That, and stop being scared shitless.”

Nat quirked an eyebrow at him.

Clint scowled. “Oh come on, like it’s that hard to believe that I’d be scared of being Tony’s soul mate. Neither one of us is exactly stable. Plus, we’re just so different.”

Nat was silent for a beat.

“You’re right,” she said. “You should talk to him. For now though, he seems like he wants to play ignorant.”

Clint huffed. “Obviously.”

“So let him for now. Have a nice meal with him, and when we are home talk to him.”

Clint couldn’t argue with that logic, so he didn’t try to. Instead he finished tugging on his shirt then hopped off the counter. Nat led the way out of the bathroom, something Clint was grateful for since it gave him an extra second to plaster on a happy face and summon a jovial attitude.

Multiple tables had been rearranged so all of the Avengers could sit together. The usual inner cliques of the Avengers had taken spots close to each other--Wanda and Vision, Steve;Bucky; and Sam, Rhodey and Tony, and all of the rest. Clint internally sighed in relief when he saw two seats had been set aside for him and Nat.

Even if they weren’t going to say or do anything about the soul mate situation at the table, whenever Clint felt particularly vulnerable, he liked to have Nat by his side. She was his safety net, just as he liked to think he was for her.

Clint laughed and joked with the others. He also joined in on the “Let’s Steal Bucky’s Food” game that Tony and Sam had initiated. Soon everyone was stealing food from each other, and any residual battle exhaustion had evaporated, leaving everyone in high spirits.

Clint was a little sad when the meal ended and everyone had to return to Avengers Tower. Sometimes the party carried over to the tower, but tonight was not one of those nights.

Besides, he needed to talk Tony.

So a half hour after everyone had finished their meal, Clint was standing in the elevator that went up to Tony’s penthouse and taking a deep breath to calm himself.

When the doors opened, he was thrown by the lack of Tony’s presence–-he had checked with FRIDAY to be sure Tony was in the penthouse.

“Tony?” Clint called out.

Silence.

Clint’s stomach churned.

“Here,” came the tired response from Tony’s bedroom.

Tony shuffled into the living room. His hair was wet from a shower and he smelled like soap. A few damp spots decorated his shirt where his skin hadn’t been properly dried before he'd slipped on the T-shirt.

“Something wrong?” Tony asked.

“I think you know why I am here.” Clint took few cautious steps into the living room.

Tony cocked his head and circled around to his couch. “Actually no, I don’t. Wanda’s the mind reader, remember?”

“Tony.” Clint reached for the collar of his shirt and tried to tug it down to display his tattoo to Tony, but he couldn’t pull the collar down far enough. “You know why I am here.”

Tony frowned. His fingers danced along the back of the couch. He looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows as if mulling something over.

Tony’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I get it. You think we’re soul mates. Don’t worry; we’re not.”

It felt like the floor had been ripped out from under Clint’s feet. “What?”

Tony gestured to his chest. “I get it. Our marks look similar, but the there are a lot of tiny differences. My arrow tip isn’t as sharp as yours. Also, my feathers aren’t quite as full as yours. And the gears, don’t even get me started on the gears.”

Clint was left gaping. There was an ache in his chest that he had not expected to feel. Then again, he hadn’t expected Tony to dismiss him as his soul mate either. He probably deserved it though after he’d kept the knowledge of the their marks from Tony. “They’re exactly the same, Tony.”

“I think I would know if they are, especially since I’m the only one here who has seen my mark before it was destroyed.” Bitterness coated Tony’s words. Whether that bitterness was aimed at Clint or at the memory of Afghanistan, Clint wasn’t sure.

“Even if that’s true, it’s the same image. It–”

“Do you know how many people there are in this world? This universe? Don’t you think it’s possible for more than one set of soul mates to have the same image but with very slight differences?”

“I’m not saying it is impossible, but…” Clint stopped himself. He was getting nowhere with this argument. He had to take it in a different direction. “Okay, you’re right about that. So let’s have FRIDAY scan my mark and compare it to what yours looked like before Afghanistan.”

Tony tensed.

“You do have a photo or something of what your mark used to look like, don’t you?” Clint asked.

Tony grimaced. “I’m trying to give you an out here.”

For the second time that day Tony had managed to make Clint’s brain stall. “You’re giving me an out?”

“Did I not just say that?” Tony huffed and plopped himself down on the couch. He took on a relaxed posture, but the scowl on his face gave away that he was anything but.

Clint joined Tony on the couch on the opposite end. “Why? Don’t you want a soul mate?”

Tony scoffed. “You’re really asking me that? The guy who hid the fact that he shared the same mark as me for how many days now?”

At least Tony was admitting that they shared the same mark. “Yeah, I am asking, because before I go baring my soul and apologizing for being a jackass, I need to know if having a soul mate is something you even want. Because if you don’t want one, then it changes this entire conversation.”

Tony bit the inside of his cheek. He eyed Clint then looked away. “I was never against having a soul mate. I wasn’t expecting to find mine after all these years. What took you so long to find me?” Tony said the last bit jokingly.

Clint bit his lip to keep from chuckling at the joke. This was a serious conversation, and Tony was deflecting. “I could ask you the same thing, but I bet you would answer that since you are famous you’d be the easy one to find, so it was all up to me. To which I say, who has the super computer and the funding to buy a thousand private investigators to find his soul mate?” Clint shook his head. “It doesn’t matter though.”

“Says the person who probably hasn’t had his mid-life crisis yet.”

“Tony, I’m not asking you to forgive me for keeping the mark a secret from you. Heck, I don’t blame you for being pissed, and I am sorry. Just know it wasn’t because I don’t want you as a soul mate… it’s just…” Clint trailed off. He took a deep breath and tried to find the right words. “Did you ever picture someone like me as your soul mate?”

“A guy?” Tony frowned. “Because blond and cute? Obviously. I would have thought you knew I wasn’t picky when it comes to my partner’s sex or gender though.”

“No.” Clint gestured to himself. “Like me. Like who I am as a person and where I come from. I’m a former carnie turned spy turned superhero. My weapon of choice is paleolithic. I’m not a genius or rich. I’m a farm boy, in case you forgot.” Clint raised his hands in a helpless shrug. “Does any of that sound like what you envisioned your soul mate to be?”

“I did have a crush on Wesley from The Princess Bride as a kid.”

“Everyone had a crush on Wesley,” Clint responded. “You can’t honestly say you wanted someone like me though, right?”

Tony closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Truthfully? I just wanted someone who could make me laugh and be honest with me. Someone I could trust. I really didn’t care about anything else.” Tony opened his eyes and stood up. “Stupid, I know.”

Tony moved as if to go to the bar, but Clint grabbed his wrist and prevented him from doing so.

Clint had screwed up–he’d screwed up royally. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I know.” Tony rolled his eyes and tried to take another step to the bar, but Clint kept his grip strong.

“Tony, I never pictured myself with someone like you, and I don’t mean that as an insult. I could never fathom what my soul mate would be like other than probably similar to me, and then I learn it’s you, and I didn’t know what to think because, yes, we do have a similar sense of humor, and we have fun together, and we’ve both had some shitty parental figures in our lives, but is that enough? Because we are pretty different too. You’re numbers and science, and I’m the guy who drinks coffee straight out from the pot.”

“You think I haven’t drank coffee straight from the pot?”

Clint gesticulated his frustration. “I don’t know, Tony. I’m just trying to get across how messed up my mind is right now, because I do like you and I think we could be the most amazing soul mates ever, but at the same time I am terrified because I could see us crashing and burn as fast as those robots we just destroyed today.”

“You’re scared?” Tony asked.

“Aren’t you? This isn’t kindergarten where one day Billy is your husband when you play house and the next day Lisa is your wife.”

“I just never thought laid back Clint Barton would be afraid of his soul mate.”

Clint swatted Tony’s thigh. “I’m not afraid of you, you idiot. If anything–” Clint stopped, realization sinking in as he gave himself a moment to connect everything he’d said and what he’d felt the last few days. “If anything, I’m an idiot because instead of taking the risk to see if we'd work out or not, I self-sabotaged.”

Clint buried his face in his palm. He groaned. “Wow.” He shook his head. “Wow. Just wow.

“You okay there, Legolas?”

“My ego is bruised, and I don’t think it will ever recover.”

Tony lingered for a moment then sat down next to Clint. “As someone who constantly winds up getting their ego trampled on, I can assure you that it will heal. There might be some swelling for a while that will make others think you have your head shoved up you ass, but it should go down with time or if you take another hit to the ego.”

Clint snorted in amusement. He peeked out at Tony. The corner of his mouth curled into a shy smile. “Sorry. You think you can forgive me?”

Tony hummed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Not right away, but eventually.”

Clint’s shy smile grew stronger. “Good. I’ll make it up to you by letting you win the next round of Mario Kart.”

“Excuse you? Let me win? Obviously your ego has swelled as predicted and it is now time for me to trample it down to the correct size.”

Clint beamed at Tony. “You do that.”


End file.
